Railway time-signal



.(No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 1. A. M. LANE. Railway Time Signal.

Patented Nov. 9,1880.

w (N0 Model.) ZSheets-Sheet 2. A. M. LANE.

Railway Time Signal.

No. 234,296. Patented Nov. 9,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT EETE.

ALMERON M. LANE, OF WINSTED, CONNECTICUT.

RAILWAY Tl ME-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 234,296, dated November 9, 1880,

Application filed September 18, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMERON M. LANE, of 'Winsted, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train -Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in train-indicators by which the time of a passing train is indicated upon suitable dials; and the objects of my improvements are to indicate said time with great accuracy, to make the machine substantial aud durable, and also to enable it to be constructed at a moderate cost. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation with the dials removed; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, a plan view of detachedparts; Fig. 4, an enlarged horizontal section of detached parts, taken on lineman of Fig. 1; and Fig.5, a front elevation, showing the dials.

A A designate the two movementplates, supported by posts in any ordinary manner. B designates the minute or center shaft of an ordinary time-movement, which revolves once an hour. The dial-wheels C connect it with the hour-socket D, so as to move said socket once in twelve hours, the socket and minuteshaft each bearing a pointer, as in ordinary clocks. The remaining parts of the clock proper may be like any of those now in common use, and therefore I consider it unnecessary either to show or describe them.

I secure a driving-wheel, E, firmly upon the minute-shaft B, so as to revolve with said shaft, and at a point in front of the front plate, A. At the end of the frame opposite the clockmovement there is another train of wheels, consistiug of barrel-shaft F, intermediate shaft, G, and minute pointer-shaft H, all connected by suitable wheels and driven eitherby a weight or spring, but preferably by a weight. The number of wheels and shafts composing this train is not essential, and may be varied at pleasure, but the train shown and described is all that is necessary.

Upon the minute pointer-shaft H there is a disk or smooth-edgedstop-wheel, I, rigidly secured thereto, and preferably by means of a (No model.)

set-screw, so as to properly adjust its position on the shaft.

Pivoted on the plate A there is a holdinglever, J, the inner end of which carries a friction-shoe, a, of rubber, leather, or other suitable material, which shoe bears upon the edge of the stop-wheel I under the influence of the spring b, Fig. 1, with sufficient friction to overcome the power of the weight or spring on shaft Fand prevent itfrom moving the pointershaft H.

A pin-wheel, K, is mounted on the minuteshaft so as to rotate loosely thereon independently of any movement of said shaft. This wheel is so connected by means of any desired number of intermediate wheels, L, with the driving-wheel E as to revolve with said driving-wheel once an hour and in the same direc tion. The pin a in wheel K is so set that it occupies the same position with reference to the circle described by it as does the pointer which is carried by the minute-shaft B of the clock-Inovementthat is, when the pointer stands with its finger end directly over the axis on which it revolves the pin 0 should also stand in the same position with reference to its axis.

The stop-Wheel I has a portion punched out of its body by a punch which cuts only on three sides, which portion or arm d is bent backward so as form a cam or incline upon one side and a shoulder at its end. This arm dis about the same distance from the shaft H as is the pin 0, and the shaft H is provided with a minute-hand, e, which indicates minutes on the dial M, Fig. 5. By means of the set-screw in the hub of wheel I it is set in such a position on the shaft H that, turning the minutehand 6 in the direction indicated by the dart in Fig. 1 until the shoulder or end of arm 01 comes into engagement with the pin a on wheel K and is stopped by the clock-movement and intermediate wheels from being turned farther, the minute-hand e will indicate the same minute as is indicated by the minute-hand on the regular clock-dial N. The minute-pointer e is then allowed to rest while the holding-lever J holds it in place, and the clock-movement and the pin-wheel K move on continuously. At any time thereafter within one hour, if the outer end of lever J is depressed so as to releascits shoe a from engagement with the wheel I, the weight or spring starts the train aml immediately carries the minute-pointer e forward until it has moved over as many minutes on the dial as have elapsed since the device was set or since the lever J was last depressed. The pointer is then arrested in its movement by the engagement of the arm (I aml pin 0, but will still move on slowly with the clock proper until the lever J is released and allowed to press its shoe (1. upon the wheel I to hold it in place, the pointer e indicating the exact minute when the shoe was thus allowed to engage the wheel I, or, in other words, the time when the pressure was removed from the outer end of lever J.

In case the lever J is not disturbed for the space of over one hour the pin 0 overtakes the arm (I and rides up its incline, the pin being made so as to yield and thereby let the arm pass by without damage. There are many dilferent ways to make the pin 0 yielding, one of which is clearly shown in the enlarged view, Fig. 4.

lfdesired. a spring might be placed behind the wheel K, aml the wheel, pin, and all be moved a short distance on the shaft ll to let the arm and pin pass each other. Thus it will be seen that if the clock runs more than an hour while the lever J is at rest or undisturbed the next movement of it will only indicate the minutes of the last fraction of an hour. For example, suppose that the two minute-pointers were together at 12 oclock, and that at 2:20 the lever is depressed, the pointer 0 will then make only a partial revolution before overtaking the clockanovetnent and indicate a change of only twenty minutes on the dial M.

In order to indicate the hour as well as the minutes, a third train is employed, the same being shown separately in Fig. 3, and consists of barrel-shaft F, pointer-shaft H, and third shaft, (l, with suitable connected gearing.

A lever, J, carries a shoe, a, which bears upon the periphery of the smooth-edged holding-wheel O umler the influence ot the spring f, for the purpose of holding the train, as before described for the trainot' the minute-shaft H. The shaft 11 carries a disk, 1, having arm 11 like the disk stop-wheel l; but the holding-shoe bears, as before described, upon the wheel 0 instead of the edge of the wheel I. The shaft ll bears an hour-pointer, g, for indicating hours upon the small circle offigures on the dial M, Fig. 5.

A loose pin-wheel, K, bearing pin 0, and, like the wheel K, is mounted on the shaft H. This wheel K is connected to one of the intermediate wheels, L. by means of wheels P P, bearing such relation to each other and to the Wheels L and K that the latter will rotate once in twelve hours and in the same direction as the socket which carries the short pointer of the clock proper. The operation of this train is the same as that of the train first described, except that it indicates hours instead of minutes.

In order to make the two trains operate jointly aml simultaneously upon the depression of a single lever, I provide a downward extension, It, on the lever J, which engages the upright arm of lever J, as shown in Fig.1, so that whenever the outer end of lever J is depressed to disengage its shoe lrom the wheel I the extension h also acts upon the lever J to disengage its shoe from the wheel 0. Both trams then start and run until they overtake the clock-movement proper, (which should always be running on correct time,) and are stopped with the minute and thehour of stopping correctly imlicated upon the dial M. In case eleven boursaml five minutes have elapsed since the lever J was last moved, then upon depressing said lever the minute-pointer will move over a space on the dial representing tive minutes, aml the hour-pointer over a space representing eleven hours or eleven-twelfths of arevolution. The employment of two trainsone for indicating the minutes and one for indicating the hour-is very important, inasmuch as ifthere were onlyone train and the two pointers were connected by ordinary dial-wheels, then, in the abovesupposed case the minutepointer would have to make eleven and onetwelfth revolutions. This would require that the lever should be held with its outer end depressed fora considerable length of time, or else the pointer would have to be moved so fast that it would be diflicult to stop it without injury to some of the parts.

By my plan, as above described, neither of the pointers are required to move more than a fraction of a revolution at any one time, and consequently it is necessary to depress the lever J only for a short space of time in order to have the pointers indicate the same time upon both dials M and N.

The machine is principally designed for use upon railroads to indicate to engineers and train-hands the exact hour and minute when the last train passed over the track, and it may be placed at stations, between stations, or at any desired point or points upon the road.

The devices for connecting it with the track are immaterial to my invention so long as a passing train will depress the outer end of the lever J. In older to prevent the lever J from being disturbed by raising the rod R which connects the lever J with the track, I pass said rod loosely through a hole in the lever J and place a nut, k, on its end, so that the lever J can only be depressed by a downward movement of the rod. The nut k facilitates the adjustment of the rod.

The machine may be used by depressing the lever by hand for the purpose of indicating and registering the time in connection with any act-as, for instance, the time when a game of billiards is begun, or for any other purpose.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of an indicator-train having a driving mechanism of its own, also a pointer-shaft, stop-wheel, andholding-lever for holding the indicator-train stationary, the pin-wheel loosely mounted on said pointershaft, an ordinary clockmovement, the driving-wheel E, mounted on and moving with the min ute-hand shaft of the clock-movement, and the connecting-wheels intermediate between the loose pin-wheel and the driving-wheel E, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the two indicatingtrains, each bearing a pointer-shaft, pointer, and stop-wheel, with the pin-wheels K K, an ordinary clock-movement, and suitable connecting-wheels, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of a minute-indicator and an hour-indicator, each bearing a separate pointer-shaft,an ordinary clock-Inovement,and

suitable connecting mechanism, substantially as described, whereby a change of several hours may be made in the position of the indicators without revolving either pointer more than a fraction of a revolution.

4. The combination of the pointer-shafts H H, stop-wheelsI I and their respective trains, the pin-wheels K K, an ordinary clock-movement, suitable connecting-wheels. leverJ, having the extension h, and lever J for acting in connection with said extension, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of an indicator-train, a smooth-edged holding-wheel, the holding-lever, bearing a friction-shoe for acting upon the holding-wheel, and a suitable wheel connected with and operated by an ordinary clock, for stopping the indicator-train when the shoe is disengaged from the holding-wheel, substantially as described, and for the purpose speci- 5 fled.

ALMERON MARK LANE. Witnesses:

WILBUR F. (30E, WILLIS S. GRISWOLD. 

